Periscope combats trolls with new comment moderation tool

Live streaming app Periscope is looking to take on internet trolls by placing moderation in the hands of the community. The team behind the Twitter-backed app unveiled new comment moderation tools that make it easier for those watching a stream to crack down on unwanted or abusive comments.

The system works by allowing viewers to report comments, at which point a group of viewers will be randomly selected to vote on whether the comment qualifies as spam or abuse. The result will be shown to those who voted, and if the majority voted for spam or abuse, the commenter will be notified that their chat has been disabled temporarily. Further offenses will result in the viewer losing the ability to comment for the remainder of the broadcast.

We've designed this system to be very lightweight — the entire process above should last just a matter of seconds. That said, if people don't want to participate, broadcasters can elect to not have their broadcasts moderated, and viewers can opt out of voting from their Settings.

The new tool should be available to viewers upon updating to the latest version of Periscope, available on Google Play now.